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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. charge — electricity
  3. press — to push
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. charge — in control
  7. pit — in a race
  8. content — happy
  9. shower — to wash
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. press — newspapers
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. press — a publisher
  17. pit — a hole
  18. squash — the sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. fine — all right
  21. content — the amount
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. charge — a price
  24. squash — the vegetable

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com